I own nothing but my OC.


That Butler, Treated


≤speech in Indian language≥

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters.

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location


Previously:

"Shocked me clean out of my skin, ye did! Suddenly getting all close to the tiger like that. Where ye got bit, are ye sure it's all right?" Joker asked, concerned.

"!" Chêne said, surprised when Ciel suddenly yanked her back, making her duck behind another tent to hide, when he realized what was happening back with Sebastian. It seemed things weren't completely hopeless after all…

"Anyway, it might be a good idea to get our troupe doctor to take a look at ye. Come 'round back, if ye would." Joker suggested helpfully.


Sebastian glanced at Ciel and Chêne's hiding place out the corner of his eye. The two of them were stealthily peeking around the corner of the tent, spying on the demon butler and Joker. Ciel nodded at Sebastian in approval, and Chêne signed a 'V' for victory at him.

"Much obliged." Sebastian told Joker politely, flashing him a positively radiant shit-eating grin.

=†=†=†=†=

" 'Ere we go. Right this way." Joker said as he led Sebastian behind the scenes, through the troupe's living area. "Beg your pardon, the place is rather a mess. Watch your step." Sebastian surreptitiously scanned his surroundings, searching for any signs that might indicate whether or not the missing children had been there. "Oh." Joker said, sounding slightly surprised when he spotted a familiar face sitting outside the tent they had been making their way towards. "Snake. Is the doctor in the first-aid tent?" He asked the young man who had danced with the snakes earlier.

"…" Snake said as he glanced up at them. It seemed to be meal time for his reptile friends, because they were currently in the process of scarfing down a couple of mice. Sebastian and Joker noticed that one of the snakes slivering over the young man's shoulders seemed to be pointing its tail in a certain direction, as if to answer their question.
"Oh dear. Seems he's out on business." Joker said, sighing. What bad timing! He decided to try to look for the doctor in the direction Snake's snake had pointed in, and he began leading Sebastian deeper into their territory.

"Oh? Isn't that the lad who was bitten by the tiger?" Sebastian heard a little girl ask as they passed. He looked over to see the boy and girl who had performed on the flying trapeze during the show. They were both perched on top of a barrel.

"You're right! What a lob of a lad!" The boy said, smirking, as he and the girl giggled at Sebastian.

"Oh! There he is!" Joker said when he spied the man they had been searching for through an open tent flap. "Doc!" He called out, as he led Sebastian into the tent.

"Nnoh?" A frizzy-haired man wearing bifocals said curiously as he and his patient, the knife-thrower, glanced up at them. "Heya Joker! Your arm giving you trouble again?" Doc asked amiably as he turned his wheelchair around so he could face them better.

"No, I'm not 'ere for me today…" Joker said, smiling wryly, as he sweat dropped and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ah." The knife thrower said when he realized why Sebastian looked familiar to him. "If I think back, yer the feller that got 'is 'ead bit by Betty! You all right?" He asked.
"Betty bit you!?" Doc shouted incredulously flinching in shock. "That's awful! Come, to the medical tent with you!!" He said anxiously as he grabbed Sebastian's hand, frantic to get his wounds seen to.

=†=†=†=†=

{A few minutes later, in the medical tent…}

"… Were you really bitten by the tiger?" Doc asked Sebastian once he'd examined his head. "There's nary a scratch on you…" He said, sweat dropping. That just shouldn't be possible…

"It was but a play-bite." Sebastian said, smiling so brightly that there were sparkles in the air around him.

'Play…? Play-bite…?' Joker and the knife thrower thought, staring blankly at him in disbelief, as they remembered how Betty had practically tried to devour his head in one bite. Did tigers even do play-bites…?

"Well, if there's nothing wrong with you, that's just as well…" Doc said thoughtfully as he sighed in relief. He didn't really get what was going on, but at least everything turned had out to be all right in the end.

"I'm so glad you're fine." Joker told Sebastian, also sighing in relief. "If a member of our audience had been hurt, our leader would've had our heads!"

"You are not the troupe leader?" Sebastian asked, mildly surprised. If that was the case, then why had Joker been acting the part of the ringmaster...?

"I'm something of a ringmaster–for–hire… The leader is someone else entirely… and quite scary to boot." Joker explained playfully, laughing, as he patted the knife thrower on the shoulder.

"Don'tcha come cryin' to me when ye get chewed out for sayin' that, ol'timer!" The knife thrower teased Joker, smirking.

RUSTLE.

"Doctor." The animal tamer said as she pushed aside the tent flap to enter. "I was hoping you could take a look at my leg…?" She trailed off when she realized there was someone she hadn't quite expected to see there.

"Siiis~!" The knife thrower exclaimed excitedly, blushing happily at the sight of the busty woman.

"You––!" The animal tamer shouted incredulously.

"I'm 'aving problems with my leg too, jus' like sis." The knife thrower said, getting down on one knee to profess his love as she stalked towards him. "Gossssh, this's gotta be more proof that we're tied by the red string of fa––"

And then she stalked right past him.

"Huh?" He said dumbly, clearly confused. Why did Sis just pass him up… and why did she have such a scary look on her face…?

"You're the eccentric gentleman from before!! What are you doing here!?" She demanded furiously as she pointed her finger accusingly at Sebastian, vein mark throbbing on her head. "Thanks to you, the act was completely rui––"

"Beast!" Doc yelled at her reproachfully. "How could you talk that way to a member of the audience!!? You only have your carelessness in being unable to control Betty to blame!" The animal tamer, Beast, flinched in shock.

"B–But he approached Betty on his own––" Beast protested defensively, pointing at Sebastian again.

"No buts! You're a professional, right!?" Doc said sternly, pointing at her.

"…" Sebastian said boredly, stuck in the middle of their argument, while they acted as though he couldn't hear them at all.

"Now, now, Doctor, you mustn't raise your voice in front of a spectator." Joker said soothingly, smiling brightly, as he and the knife-thrower put themselves in between the other two troupe members before the argument could get out of hand.

"Yeah, yeah! Please examine my dear sis's leg first!" The knife thrower added.

"… Haah." Doc sighed in defeat as he leaned back in his chair. They were right, he shouldn't be making a scene in front of a member of the audience. "Beast, retrain Betty again after this." He said finally, much calmer now.

"Tch! … Yeah." Beast mumbled grudgingly, clicking her tongue in annoyance. Why did she have to be scolded in front of the very man who caused this problem in the first place? It wasn't her or Betty's fault that he was such a weirdo!

"Good. Now let's see the prosthesis." Doc told her, getting back to what she'd come in there for in the first place.

"Prosthesis?" Sebastian asked.

"Ye might say there's a little reason behind this circus." Joker explained, motioning for Sebastian to stand so that Beast could have the seat in front of the doctor. "One way or another, we're a collection of folks with problems. I was missing an arm myself, but thanks to the doctor, look at me now. Pretty fine, eh?" He asked Sebastian as he showed him his own prosthetic hand that was made to look like a skeleton's. Sebastian's eyes widened slightly. He had, of course, been aware of the shape of Joker's hand, but as he could see no visible means or devices to aid in the movement of the skeletal digits (like how muscles and tendons would be needed to move a real skeleton), he had assumed it must be some form of puppetry, with his real hand controlling it from inside his sleeve somehow… Just how on earth was he managing that if his whole arm was prosthetic?

"It's always going bad because you insist on having a prosthetic arm in that shape! I wish you'd give some consideration to the person who has to maintain it." Doc huffed indignantly, glancing up from his examination of Beast's prosthetic leg.

"Oops." Joker said, smiling wryly and sweat dropping, as he winked at Sebastian.

"Do you make the artificial limbs for all of the troupe members?" Sebastian asked the doctor. Truth be told, he was quite curious about how they could function and move so well, like they were no different from actual human limbs. The material they were made from had a mysterious quality to it as well.

"Yes, that's right––It's a lottt of work, I tell you!" Doc replied as he made some adjustments to the leg. "From carving the parts to the installation, I do it all."

"Carving? Are they made of wood, then?" Sebastian asked curiously as he leaned over the doctor's shoulder to watch him work. The surface looked too smooth to be wooden.

"Nope, ceramic." Doc corrected him.

"Ceramic?" Sebastian asked. The texture didn't quite match that of any ceramics he had ever come across before.

"I say ceramic, but I use special materials to make it light and durable." Doc explained.

"I see. It also feels nice to the touch." Sebastian observed as he lightly ran his hand up the smooth shin of the prosthetic.

"Right? To ensure smoothness in movement, I also use ball-shaped parts in the joints." Doc said, glad to find someone who appreciated his work.

"This is indeed delicate workmanship." Sebastian praised as he continued to examine the leg for himself. "Oh?" He said when he saw something interesting at the base of the prosthetic leg. "What is this hallmark…?" He trailed off when he realized the fake limb, no––the entire body of the person it was attached to, was trembling as she blushed furiously out of embarrassment. Sebastian had been so absorbed in examining Beast's prosthetic limb that he hadn't even realized he could see up her mini-skirt now… He was really glad Chêne wasn't there, to see this. Joker stared at them silently, stunned, while the knife thrower had broken out into a sweat as he too blushed furiously, drooling slightly… Beast grit her teeth as a bead of nervous sweat rolled down her face.

"What are you playing at, you letch!?" She roared furiously as she tried to kick Sebastian as hard as possible with the very leg he had just been ogling.

"Hup." Sebastian said as he dodged her brutal attack with ease. "Aah, excuse me. You did not strike me as one so chaste as to be bashful at something of this sort, so…" Sebastian said, smirking slightly. He just couldn't resist messing with such an easy target. Sadist mode: On.

"Grrr…!" Beast growled in frustration and anger as she turned and even darker shade of red and multiple vein marks throbbed on her head. Did he just imply he thought she looked like a slut!? "Why, you!!" She roared furiously, swinging her whip at him.

WHAP!

Again, Sebastian easily dodged her attack, smiling that infuriating shit-eating grin of his.

"Hey!! Beast, stop that!! He's a spectator!" Doc shouted anxiously, paling slightly. "You two, stop her qui––" He stopped short when he and Joker realized that their knife throwing friend was shaking. Uh-oh.

"You barmy bastard, how dare ye lay a hand on me sis's pale, silken skin! How dare ye, how dare ye!" He roared with righteous(?) fury, tears in his eyes, as a vein throbbed on his forehead. "And when I haven't even laid a hand on it yet!!" he shouted as he hurled three daggers at Sebastian without the slightest hint of hesitation.

"Though I did not touch her skin directly…" Sebastian said calmly as he jumped up into the air, to avoid the deadly daggers. He flipped once before landing on a rope that had been stretched across the tent to hang a couple of drying sheets from, like a bird on a wire.

RUSTLE.

"Hello?" Chêne said tentatively as she lifted the tent flap to let herself in. "Are you in here, Seba––!?" She gasped when she realized three knives, the ones that Sebastian had just avoided, were flying straight at her.

CATCH. CATCH. SHHNG!

Chêne froze. Despite being attacked so suddenly, she had managed to catch two of the daggers, but she had to dodge the last one… and a very familiar braided pigtail of silky chocolate-brown hair was now lying on the ground beside her. Apparently, when she moved her head to avoid the dagger, it ended up missing the most important part (her head), but it sliced off one of her braids… Damn.

"… But I do seem to have touched off your anger." Sebastian finished telling the knife thrower, wearing that eerily calm smile he had whenever he was in polite company, but was feeling the urge to murder someone.

'You look a little angry yourself…' Chêne thought, sweat dropping. She didn't know what was going on here, but she had a feeling that guy should run… now.

"Dagger, stop it! You could've killed that girl just now!" Doc yelled at the knife thrower, breaking out in a nervous sweat, as he turned blue with shock. "Stop it, or else the tent will––"

"Forget the tent!" Dagger shouted as he pulled out more knives. "Sis's chastity is more important!!" He roared furiously as he hurled more knives up at Sebastian. Sebastian narrowed his eyes slightly as he gracefully caught all eight of the knives in between his fingers, like a ninja boss. The demon butler smirked. Joker whistled. Catching two knives was one thing, but eight… now that was impressive!

"Noo way!?" Dagger shouted incredulously, not believing his eyes. Who was this man!?

"Chastity…?" Chêne asked, furrowing her brow slightly. She glanced between Sebastian and Beast suspiciously. That had better not mean what she thought it did…

"Tch!" Beast grit her teeth as she cracked her whip, infuriated. "Don't push your luck!" She shouted furiously as she swung her whip at the perverted demon.

WHAP!

Beast's whip wrapped around Joker's walking stick as he thrust it forward, canceling out her attack. A bead of sweat rolled down her face as she stared up at the ringmaster. There was an eerily calm and cold look in his eye as he stared down at her, his face partially cast in shadow. The atmosphere in the tent was so tense, that you could cut the air with a knife…

POP!

"Here~!" Joker said, smiling brightly, as a bouquet of flowers popped out of the end of the walking stick, instantly shattering the tension. "All right, all riiight. That will do for today~!" He declared energetically, his smile as refreshing as spring flowers blooming in the sunshine. Chêne exhaled a breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding. There had been something a little unsettling about the look in Joker's eye's just a moment ago, but now… Geez, talk about bipolar!

"Whaaa!? But, Joker!" Dagger protested.

"Why didn't you stop them soonerrrrrr!?" Doc demanded incredulously, still a little pale from when he'd turned blue with shock when Chêne was almost skewered.

"But he––" Dagger continued to argue, vein throbbing on his forehead.

"Come, come." Joker said lightly, smiling wryly as he patted Dagger on the back, and started trying to persuade them to let it go, as Sebastian hopped down from his perch on the rope, still holding the knives.

"Ye have such lovely legs, after all. I can understand why he would want to have a touch. I'm giving you these flowers, so let's have a see a smile." Joker told Beast, smiling warmly at her as he approached her from behind, and patted her thigh lightly as he handed the flowers to her.

"Hmph!" Beast huffed softly, pouting slightly as she blushed shyly.

'How sweet…' Chêne thought, smiling slightly, as she watched them… Wait a minute… "Oh? So that's what happened… We've only been married for a few days, and you're already cheating on me… Eh, Sebastian?" She asked sweetly(?), vein mark throbbing on her forehead. Sebastian froze. Damn. He was really going to get it now… He braced himself for a scolding, but it never came, Chêne just huffed and turned her back on him, giving him the cold shoulder.

"…?" Sebastian said, slightly taken aback. That hadn't quite been the reaction he was expecting… he had though Chêne, being a rather emotional woman, would have started shouting at him… In a way, her shunning him actually was actually worse, since it didn't give him a chance to explain himself… and since she wasn't talking to him, it left her open to be approached by someone else…

"Eh? Are the two of ye a couple?" Joker asked, looking slightly disappointed.

"Yes. She is my wife." Sebastian stated pointedly as he passed Dagger's knives back to him and put his arm around Chêne possessively.

"Oh, so now you remember to act like a married man." Chêne said a little frostily, crossing her arms, refusing to look directly at him.

"…" Sebastian said. His shit-eating grin was a little tense now that he realized just how much trouble he was in with Chêne. She wasn't going to let this go for a while, was she…?

"I'm terribly sorry about yer hair. Are ye all right?" he asked, concerned. He still couldn't believe a little slip of a girl like her had managed to avoid being stabbed by those knives, when she had only a split-second of warning time after entering the tent. Come to think of it, how had she managed to get back here in the first place…?

"Uh, yeah, I guess… At least I didn't lose anything too important…" She said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped and fingered her recently cut hair. She must look rather odd with one side of her hair long and braided, and the other chopped off. At least her hair would grow back eventually…

"But I saaay! Leaving all that aside, ye have some terrific reflexes, Sir. And you're not half-bad yourself, Miss. I've been meaning to thank ye for your help with Betty, but ye disappeared once the show was over. I've never seen her take to someone like that before!"" Joker praised them, switching to a happier subject when he noticed the ominous glare Sebastian was sending Dagger for ruining poor Chêne's hair. A woman's hair was supposed to be very important to her in this era, after all. Chêne sweat dropped. Being a modern girl, she didn't really see what the big deal was. She even used to wear her hair in a pixie cut when she was Ciel's age. "So much so, that I've half a mind to scout the two of ye for our troupe here." Joker added, smiling. The couple perked up at that.

"Really!?" Chêne asked excitedly, eyes sparkling, as she and Sebastian closed in on the ringmaster.

"Are you sure?" Sebastian asked gravely.

"Eh?" Joker asked, sweat dropping, surprised by their sudden invasion of his personal space. Hadn't they just been fighting with each other…? This couple was pretty close after all… They were in perfect sync.

"To tell the truth, my current master is so willful that I have had quite enough of him. Just recently he even made an advance on my wife." Sebastian explained, sighing tiredly. Joker and Doc sweat dropped as they stared at the couple. …Seriously?

=†=†=†=†=

"Achoo!" Ciel sneezed violently as he sat in the carriage, waiting for Chêne to return with Sebastian. "?" He said, puzzled. Why was he sneezing like this today? He hoped he wasn't coming down with something… Sebastian had better not be bad-mouthing him behind his back…

=†=†=†=†=

"Master, ye say… Sir, are ye a servant at some grand house?" Joker asked, slightly taken aback. "You're dressed well, so I figured ye for a gent and a lady… and pardon me for sayin' so, but that ain't no simple ring on the Missus' finger, either."

"Me, a gentleman?" Sebastian asked, placing a hand over his breast. "How absurd. I am merely a butler." He explained, suppressing a smirk.

"I'm just a servant, too. This ring is a family heirloom from my great-grandmother. Grandma Willow thought I should have it for my own wedding, since I was named after the original owner and all…" Chêne explained, smiling wryly, as she sweat dropped. She hadn't actually known her grandmother had given it to Sebastian until their wedding, but Willow had promised the ring to Chêne when she was little, saying it would be like a 'good-luck charm', since Willow's parents had such a loving and devoted marriage to each other… the effect must not have kicked in yet.

"So, were you serious about scouting us for your troupe? If so, I would like to join at once." Sebastian told Joker.

"Sir, are ye really serious?" Joker asked, sweat dropping. He was really willing to leave such a cushy job just because his boss made one pass at his wife? Well, she was a sweet little beauty, so he could understand why he would be worried…

"I am always serious, you see?" Sebastian deadpanned.

"And I've always wanted to join the circus, ever since I was a kid~!" Chêne added excitedly, smiling so radiantly there were sparkles in the air.

"Pfft!" Joker laughed, amused by their contrasting expressions. They could be a comedic duo, if they wanted! "Ah! Ha! Ha! You are one amusing couple~! I like ye~!!" He said, smiling brightly as he clapped the both of them on the shoulder, laughing. "If ye wanna join up, ye can come by anytime."

"Hey! Joker!? How could you just decide it like that!!?" Beast shouted incredulously, fuming. She didn't really mind Chêne joining, but as far as she was concerned, Sebastian was a perverted demon… (Which was pretty spot on, actually.)

"Now, now. He's quite a talent, and the Missus isn't bad, either." Joker said, smiling a little too care-freely for Beast's tastes.

"My specialties are actually acrobatics and contortionism." Chêne said, smiling innocently.

"Heh. Indeed…" Sebastian said thoughtfully, smirking devilishly, as he glanced down at his sweet little wife. Chêne blushed, suddenly feeling embarrassed. Judging by the looks on their faces, which ranged from intrigued to… pitying (the last one was obviously from Beast), Sebastian's little comment just helped form some strange misunderstandings about her… again. Was this payback for giving him the cold shoulder earlier...? Because he totally deserved that one…

"If you please." Sebastian said, drawing their attention back to him and off of poor Chêne. "There is one other person I would like to introduce to you." He said, smiling his customary shit-eating grin.

=†=†=†=†=

"Ahhchoo!" Ciel sneezed again. "??" Seriously, what was with all the sneezing tonight!?

=†=†=†=†=

"Certainly, if there's another like ye… but I would like to run him through our tryout." Joker told Sebastian reasonably. "I'd like to see the Missus perform some tricks as well, since acrobatics is her specialty, and we only got to see a limited test of her reflexes." Sebastian hid a smirk.

"Understood. Well then, the three of us shall impose upon you tomorrow. Thank you so much for today." Sebastian said politely, giving a small bow as he excused himself and Chêne from their company. "Come along, Kitten." He told Chêne, flashing her a brilliant shit-eating grin, as he lifted the tent flap for her, and she blushed slightly at the use of his pet name for her.

"Yes, thank you. You don't need to show us the way out." She reassured them, smiling politely, when Joker moved to show them out of the camp.

"…" Sebastian said as he let the tent flap fall closed behind them. "… Chêne, about what happened with Miss Beast…" He started to explain, but Chêne held up a hand, stopping him.

"I don't wanna hear it Sebastian. I can kind of guess what must have happened before I got there… just don't let it happen again, okay? I don't like being made to feel jealous." She said seriously, before giving him a slight smile.

"…" Sebastian said as he stared at her. He could see the hurt behind her smile. She was putting on a brave face for him, though he didn't quite understand why… He would have much preferred she get angry and give him a hard time, rather than having to see her make such a face. "It won't." He promised solemnly as he embraced her. "I am sorry... I didn't think it would affect you so. It almost felt as though I was the only one getting jealous lately…" He apologized. He smiled wryly at himself. Honestly, Chêne was the only one who could get him to act this way…

"Of course I get jealous, you idiot!" Chêne huffed, puffing out her cheeks slightly as she pouted, but she snuggled closer to him as she rested her head against his chest. "I just trust you enough not to freak out about it every time… I now you wouldn't have married me if you weren't serious about us." She explained, blushing slightly. Sebastian smirked slightly as he leaned down and kissed her. He really loved to see Chêne blush like that. It was part of why he just couldn't resist teasing her.

"Now then…" Sebastian said, smirking as he held his wife in his arms, satisfied now that they had properly made up with each other. "… Shall we finish up here so we can return home with the young master? I am looking forward to seeing a private demonstration of your… agility." He said suggestively, not even bothering to conceal the hunger for her in his eyes.

"I don't think I can show them what you seem to have in mind…" Chêne mumbled, sweat dropping, as she blushed furiously out of embarrassment, slightly chagrined. Really! How could Sebastian say something so dirty with a straight face… freaking perverted demon... He was definitely teasing her!

"Anyway, there were nine tents and ten carts until we arrived at the first-aid tent." Sebastian said seriously with a gleam in his eye. He really meant it when he said that he wanted to finish up so they could get back home. Then he could finish kissing Chêne senseless… among other things…

"Plus, there are several larger tents further in." Chêne added. She had managed to do a little snooping on her way to fetch Sebastian for Ciel.

"Since we are here, perhaps we ought to go take a look?" Sebastian suggested.

"You think the kids are here, after all?" Chêne asked, furrowing her brow slightly in concern. "I haven't seen any signs that might indicate young children around their ages being kept here, but…" Chêne didn't know why, but she had a strange and eerie feeling niggling away at the back of her mind. Although the people in this circus had been nothing but nice, and they didn't seem to be acting suspiciously, she couldn't help but feel something was… off.

"I cannot sense any children at all. However…" Sebastian stated calmly as he glanced in the direction of a certain tent. 'This presence I have been feeling for some time now… could it be…' He wondered, narrowing his eyes slightly, as he took a step closer.

HIIISSSSSSSS!

"!" Chêne gasped in surprise as she gripped Sebastian's arm for comfort, startled by the snake that suddenly reared its head threateningly at them. She didn't recognize what specific type it was, but it had pits on its head, so it had to be poisonous.

"Entry beyond this point is forbidden." The 'snake-man' from the show who had been so helpful to Sebastian and Joker said dangerously as two of his snakes hissed at them from their perch on his shoulders. "––Says Wilde…" He added, glancing at one of the snakes. Chêne sweat dropped. Was he speaking for the snakes? Did that mean this guy could speak parsletongue, or something? Lacey would be ecstatic to meet him…

"…" Sebastian said as he eyed them, moving Chêne behind him protectively.

"The exit is over there." Snake continued, pointing them in the right direction "––Says Goethe."

"Thank you for your kindness." Sebastian told him politely, smiling his trademark shit-eating grin.

"Sorry for being startled…" Chêne apologized bashfully, smiling wryly as she rubbed the back of her neck. It looked like he was just trying to be helpful, after all…

"…" The young man said as he watched the couple leave together in the direction he had so kindly pointed them in. "Goodbye." He told them while one of the snakes waved its tail after them, as if to say farewell. "––Says Goethe…"